Nightmare
by JustACountdown321
Summary: A serial murderer is on the loose and Soul and the gang have to stop him. But what happens when the murderer takes Soul? And what will Black Star do when grisly details of the murders are revealed? And what is the murderer's obsession with Soul? Warnings: yaoi (boyxboy) BlackStarxSoul, language, lemon. Not intended for young audiences. Rated M for a reason.
1. Chapter 1

**Soul's POV~**

Shinigami-sama had called them all into his chambers, the distressed god flitting about the cloud-filled room. He glanced around. All of them were there. Kid, Liz, and Patty… Black Star and Tsubaki… Crona and Ragnarok… and finally: Soul and Maka. All of them showed a look of confusion and mild concern, unfamiliar with their leader looking so… worried. He stopped pacing, turning to look them each in the eye.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why you are here…" he mused. Maka started to say something, but Shinigami-sama continued, cutting her off. "You're all here for a mission of grave importance… one that I would not wish on anyone, but I must..."

Soul gulped, feeling sweat glisten on his forehead. He glanced at the others; only Black Star looked excited.

"Sid… bring out the file." Shinigami-sama ordered. Sid came marching up from the door, his already zombie-blue skin paler than usual. He handed Maka the file, then retreated towards the door, guarding it like _the kids_ might try and break through his defense. Maka glanced at the file, then gasped. Her hands started shaking and the gasp faded into a low moan which morphed into a quieted scream. She dropped the file, clutching her stomach, tears sliding down her cheek. Kid stepped forward first, snatching up the discarded file. He flipped through it, his face changing to a look of horror. He glared at his father, his lips trembling.

"W-what the hell is this?!" he snapped, fighting back tears. Shinigami-sama lowered his head, letting out a sigh. He glanced at all of us, before straightening for his explanation.

"For the past month, a serial-killer has popped up around the country." He paused, letting it sink in. "No one knows if they are male or female, or even if they are working alone or not. The death-count has reached twenty, and is rapidly increasing. The intervals between his killings are getting shorter and shorter. Since there hasn't been any evidence or identification, police have named him 'Nightmare.'"

Soul stood confused. _Why would a serial-killer be called "Nightmare?"_ He grabbed a photo that had fallen from the file, scanning it over. He screamed, dropping the picture and covering his mouth, bile rising in his throat. Everyone else stared horrified, before looking at the same photo, disgust and terror washing over them. Even Black Star seemed shaken.

The picture was of a young woman, about a couple years older than them. She had died, frozen in terror, her last emotion forever there for all to see. She was clutching her heart, as if it was about to beat out of her chest. She had been dressed in a white dress, her arms exposed. Her irises were glowing, casting her face in shadows, but they could not hide anything. Black tears and black blood seeped from her eyes, mouth, and wrists. Her soul lied as a puddle of bright blue liquid among the blackness, shaped into some sort of demon.

Her soul had withered and melted… something that should be impossible.

Soul glanced at Shinigami-sama, not believing any of this. He looked down on them with sorrow.

"This killer is literally scaring people to death. Each melted soul, each pool of blue, is shaped in the victim's worst fear…" he murmured, his voice hollow. He gave us a moment to collect ourselves before continuing. "He always strikes at night, always in the shadows. So far, every victim has been young, beautiful, and female."

Maka threw up, the news getting worse. Soul peered at Liz and Patty and saw that they were both crying. Tsubaki looked like she might join Maka in puking.

"I know this is all awful news; news, kids like you should never have to hear, but Nightmare is in Death City." Soul felt his body tremble, imagining that psychopath roaming the streets. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder and turned to see Black Star giving him a smile. He felt himself relax as Shinigami-sama continued. "The police have run out of options, they need the help of meisters and weapons. I selected you eight," Ragnarok cleared his throat. "Nine…because you are the best this academy has to offer…" he looked around at us, a slight warmth in his voice. "You'll be split into two teams: Maka and Crona, Kid and Black Star. So long as you always stay together, you'll be fine…" Shinigami-sama looked like he was about to cry, an occurrence that never happened. He lowered his head and turned, afraid to watch his students leave.

"You have your orders… now go."

* * *

It was late, almost midnight. After her soul-search had shown nothing, Maka decided that their groups should split up and search the city. Everyone had grim faces.

Most of the night had been pretty dull, but no one could relax. Soul probably would've been in a full-blown panic the whole time if it wasn't for Black Star kissing his forehead as a good luck charm right before they split.

"As long as you have this, nothing will happen to you…" he had said, his goofy grin gracing his face. Soul had to turn to avoid the assassin seeing the blush creep across his face. Black Star doesn't know that Soul has a crush on him, and he doesn't know how much that had meant to the scythe.

Everyone else had smirked, Maka nudging Soul in the ribs after Black Star had dashed off. She and Crona giggled to themselves afterwards, even Ragnarok had popped out and leered at him. Soul walked behind them while they searched, shooting daggers at them when they peeked over their shoulders with teasing smiles.

His frustration had helped keep his mind off the horrors they were up against, and he found himself growing bored. Soul kicked a rock towards a dumpster in a nearby alley, expecting a loud clang when it hit.

There was no sound.

Soul stopped, turning towards the alley. It was draped in shadows, the only light coming from a nearby streetlamp. He stared at the rock that sat in the middle of the alley, right where the light met darkness. He glanced at Maka and Crona; both had continued walking and hadn't noticed his sudden absence. He was about to say something to the others, but froze when something cold slithered around his ankle.

Soul shook, peering down at his ankle, gasping when he saw nothing but a shadow swirling around it, reaching for the other one. He pulled his foot back and grimaced when it wouldn't budge.

He was too late. The shadow pulled, knocking him to the ground. Soul shouted, screaming for Maka and Crona to come help. His head was still at the edge of the alley, visible for them to see. He called out to them, reaching a hand out, as he watched them turn and panic. Ragnarok popped out of Crona and they started running back towards Soul, their cries muffled by the distance.

The shadow started tugging. Hard. He was being pulled further and further into the darkness. Soul rolled over; clawing at the ground, his fingers bleeding as they dug into the concrete, but nothing was working. Maka was several feet away when, with one last yelp, he was dragged into the darkness at incredible speeds.

The two meisters became specks in the distance, the shadows pulling at alarming speeds now that Soul was fully veiled in darkness. He crashed into walls and trashcans, crying out every time something struck. He had traveled what felt like miles before the shadows ceased yanking, Soul groaning in pain when they did. He felt blood drip from a gash on his forehead, and his legs felt dislocated. His shirt was in tatters after being dragged such a distance and scrapes littered his body.

The shadows reached out and touched Soul's forehead, right where Black Star had kissed him. He felt his blood run cold as he could feel the shadow slithering around within his mind, reading his thoughts… his fears…

Blood loss and creeping shadows made him disoriented, and he soon found himself slipping into unconsciousness.

He faded out in the middle of cold darkness…

* * *

**Black Star's POV~**

So far his night had turned up nothing. First: they spent the remainder of sunlight available after school waiting for Maka to sense something; which she didn't. Then: they split up; robbing Black Star the chance of comforting Soul when he got scared (he loved the albino's reaction earlier in Shinigami-sama's room). And lastly: their search had led them absolutely nowhere.

Black Star groaned, running a hand through his spikey hair. He heard Tsubaki giggle and he stared down at the weapon-girl in his hand, her current form the chain-scythe.

"You seem irritated Black Star…" she giggled. "What's bothering you now? Is Kid freaking out over a crack in the sidewalk?"

The reaper's son turned, hearing her comment. "Where?!" He began panicking, searching the sidewalk for the imaginary crack, crawling on the ground in a desperate attempt to find the blemish. Black Star groaned louder, glaring at Tsubaki.

"Thanks a lot, Tsubaki!" he growled, wincing as he heard Kid whine in discomfort and the Thompson sisters complain about his silly behavior. The weapon giggled, transforming back into her human form. She placed a hand on Black Star's shoulder, looking him in the eye with concern.

"Black Star… is something bothering you? Do you want to talk about it?" she worried. Black Star sighed, shaking his head.

"Nah… it's just… I don't like the idea of this creep being out here. Or the idea of splitting up." He huffed in annoyance. "Splitting up's the worst thing to do. Sure, it covers more ground. But if we get attacked or find something, then we'd have no back up… not that I need it!" he smirked.

Tsubaki sighed at her meister's arrogance. "Nothing's going to happen Black Star. Maka and Crona are both highly trained meisters, and Soul and Ragnarok are strong. They can handle themselves."

Mentioning Soul got Black Star worried again. He remembered kissing his forehead earlier and blushed. He did the good-luck charm without realizing it, completely forgetting that not only was everyone around, but that Soul had no idea that Black Star liked him.

He groaned, feeling embarrassed. Tsubaki was about to laugh at him, when Kid stood suddenly. He glanced in the direction they came from, back where Soul and the others had been headed. Black Star stiffened, knowing something must've happened. He glared at his weapon for her previous statement, before taking off in their friends' direction.

There were no words, just movement. Kid never said anything as to what he felt and no orders were given; they all just had the instinct to find the others.

Black Star chewed on his lip, worry plaguing his mind as he thought about what could've happened. His focus drifted to Soul and his worry increased tenfold. He knows the scythe is strong, stronger than most kids their age, but his personality had its downfalls. Soul might've been loyal, headstrong, and passionate, but he was also cocky, naïve, and sometimes a pretty big dumbass.

Black Star smiled thinking about the boy and that eased some of his worry. They ran in silence, only exchanging looks between them. Every so often they stopped, looked at Kid, then continued in whatever direction Kid sensed the others to be in. The closer they got to the group, the colder Black Star felt. Something really bad must've happened.

They arrived at an alleyway, pausing to listen. A noise echoed off the alley walls and they all turned, preparing for a fight; the Thompson sisters still in gun-mode. Tsubaki had transformed into shuriken, ready to strike. The sound got closer and Maka stumbled out of the alley, her appearance catching everyone by surprise. Tsubaki transformed back, running forward and catching the small girl.

Maka was crying, tears streaming down her face. She tried to speak, but would break down in tears again. Black Star knew she wasn't going to be able to say anything anytime soon. His frustration got the best of him and he slapped her, grabbing her by the shoulders and staring her in the eye.

He muttered one word: "Where?"

She shakily pointed behind her, back in the alley. She started sobbing again as tears pricked her eyes and sadness overwhelmed her. Black Star stood, ignoring Tsubaki's heated glare as he brushed past her into the dark alley.

He didn't run, fear telling him not to. His first instinct was to get the hell out of that alley, but he knew he had to go forward. He passed blood. More blood than he wanted to see. It wasn't thick, but it was sprayed everywhere, coating the alley and trashcans with red. He felt his body trembling, anger and fear rising. He spotted Crona and dashed to the young meister.

Crona looked depressed, though Crona always looked depressed. Ragnarok popped out, his expression sullen as well. He uncrossed his arms and pointed further in, looking down as Black Star passed.

Black Star gulped, dread rising in his throat. _If Maka was alright… and Crona was alright… then that means…_

He dashed forward, instincts be damned, as his heart stopped dead in its tracks. The alley widened out into a small clearing where a basketball court used to be. Black Star felt his anger flaring at what he saw.

Blood…

So much blood…

The court was covered in blood; splatters across the walls, small puddles around a trashcan, bloody handprints of someone desperately trying to hold onto something on the basketball hoops, and a large pool of blood directly in the center. He crossed to it, ignoring the bile rising in his throat at the sight. He gagged at the smell, covering his nose. He stood next to the pool, catching his reflection in the shiny substance. He didn't like the look of red on him.

Something in the reflection caught his eye. He glanced up at the abandoned building sealing the court off from the outside world. His heart clenched and he felt tears prick at his eyes as he saw the wall and the little message left for him.

There, ten feet up the wall, was his star symbol written in blood; the word "Nightmare" a signature on the side.

And there, pinned to the wall in the center of the star, was Soul's headband; blood staining the fabric.

Black Star fell to his knees as he heard the others enter the clearing. Their gasps and wails filled the alley, echoing off the long brick walls of the enclosure. He gritted his teeth, scowling at the unfortunate truth. He screamed at the sky with fury and pain until his throat was coarse and dry and he had no more fight to give, cold tears flowing down his cheeks.

Soul was gone… and Nightmare had taken him…


	2. Chapter 2

**Black Star's POV~**

Black Star paced back and forth around Shinigami-sama's room, ignoring the look of annoyance the death god was giving him. Everyone else sat huddled around a table, going over crime scene photos and examining the case files; a file on Soul being the newest addition.

Maka had finally calmed down, though her eyes were red and puffy from crying. She sat at the end of the table with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, staring vacantly at the photos in front of her.

Shinigami-sama had questioned her and Crona about what happened. Neither saw who -or what- had grabbed Soul, but they know it blended with the shadows and it moved at incredible speeds. Maka described the event, explaining how Soul must've noticed something in the alley and it grabbed him before they realized. By the amount of blood found all over the place, Soul had struck many objects and walls as it took him, the high velocity at which he was moving increasing he damage. Black Star had to hold his breath to keep from shouting at the useless meister as she told her story.

"W-we tried following Soul… he disappeared out of sight within moments of being dragged into the alley… he was gone…" she cried, tears threatening to spill again. No one spoke, afraid to upset her more. Shinigami-sama stood apart from them, glancing off into the distance. The silence got to Black Star and he threw a punch at the magic wall, sending cracks throughout the moving sky.

"What the fuck are we going to do!?" he shouted, glaring at the death god. Shinigami-sama sighed, raising a hand to rub at his temples.

"Black Star, you need to remain calm-"

"Fuck being calm! I wanna save Soul!" he snarled. Kid moved over to Black Star, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"We all want to save Soul, but we can't if we don't calmly think of a plan."

Black Star swore, clenching his fist and turning away. He picked up his pacing, needing something to do. Kid sighed, returning to the table of files.

"Let's see…" he mused. "I don't think he intended to take Soul; Soul must've discovered something that would've given him away." Black Star gritted his teeth, figuring that Soul really was naïve. "We know that Nightmare only works at night, and he seemed to be stronger in the shadows…" he hummed, thinking something over. Kid turned to his father, a question on his mind. "Father… is there any known influence over darkness?"

Shinigami-sama stiffened, quickly turning and crossing to his window. He looked at it for a second, images and information flashing by. He turned back to the group, his expression darker.

"There was a rumor a couple months ago of a man who claimed he could manipulate shadows." He paused, glancing back at his window. "It says here that he disappeared a month ago." He froze, facing the group, even grimmer than before. "Seven of the victims lived in the same town as him…"

Black Star growled, pushing past Shinigami-sama and peering at the information. All of the victims were around that one town.

"Okay, so we know who's doing this… but we don't know why or where yet." He snapped, turning back towards his group. Kid sat up, glancing at the photos.

"Somehow, he's able to find out his victim's greatest fears, and he somehow melts their souls. None of the photographs tells us why or how, but I have a feeling he'd need a hideout, somewhere secluded and set apart from the rest of the town…" he glanced at a map, circling several locations that would fit the description. "He's also staying near his hometown, targeting women especially from there." He scribbled a couple more locations. Black Star leaned over Kid, glancing at the map. There was too much area to cover, and not enough time. He stalked away muttering more curses, when he heard Kid gasp. He glanced back at the boy, noticing Kid was shaking; his skin deathly pale. Shinigami-sama noticed Kid's change in mood and glided over to him, examining him up close.

"Kid… what's wrong? What do you see?" he asked, glancing at his son's notes.

Kid gulped, looking at all of them. He looked really worried.

"W-well, we know he's been targeting women up till now. Soul's the only boy he's taken."

"And?" Black Star pestered. He was nervous about where this was going.

"W-well… the women, along with being murdered, have shown signs of being…" he paused, choking back bile.

"What? Spit it out!" Black Star snarled.

Kid let out a shaky breath. "All the women had been raped, prior to their murders…"

He left that statement hang in the air. Shinigami-sama wrenched the files from Kid's hand, scanning them over before looking up and nodding in affirmation, a grim expression on his face. Everyone paled, feeling sick. Maka came out of her daze long enough to puke again. Black Star felt cold and hot at the same time: he was now infinitely times more worried about Soul than ever before. And he also felt a surge of rage at the thought of some sick twisted fucker touching his Soul…

Black Star grabbed the map, getting a mental picture of it, before storming out the hall, Tsubaki nervously chasing after.

* * *

**Soul's POV~**

Soul groaned in agony. His head felt like someone had hit him a few times with a hammer then tried to fix the dents with a drill. His throat was incredibly dry and tasted like sandpaper. He croaked, testing his voice to see if he could speak. He glanced down and saw that his shirt was gone, probably thrown away after being torn to shreds. He wiggled his arms, wincing from his dislocated shoulder, noticing they were chained together. He looked at his feet and was relieved to see that they weren't.

He willed his leg to transform, feeling better at the sight of his scythe. He bent his leg up, running the blade over his handcuffs. They snapped with ease and he shook his wrists free from the remaining chains. He laughed lightly at the easiness of his escape, but a glance around told him it wasn't going to be that easy. The room was pitch-black, hiding any distinguishable marks from his sight. There didn't appear to be any doors or windows in and out of the room. He wondered how he got in there in the first place.

He stood up, walking towards the nearest wall and feeling along it. Solid brick. He was about to test his scythe on it, when the wall darkened, a hand reaching through and shoving him backwards. He flew across the room, crashing into the opposite wall. He cried out as pain flared through his shoulder, but stopped when a hand grabbed his throat, pinning him to the wall and choking him. He struggled, tears brimming his eyes. He couldn't see his attacker, but felt a cold hand wrap around his neck. He was on the verge of passing out when the hand released, dropping Soul to the ground. He wretched, inhaling as much oxygen as his lungs would allow. He glanced up where his attacker should be and was met with complete darkness.

"H-hello?" he croaked. He still didn't see anyone, but he heard sadistic laughter. He felt really cold. "Who's there?"

A darker laugh. The shadows in front of him blurred together, becoming a mirage. The laughter was emanating from there. Soul reached a hand out, then retracted it, knowing better. The mirage growled, before fading into the image of a man in his mid-twenties. His skin was sickly pale, dark circles surrounding his eyes. His hair was black as midnight, blending into the shadows around him. His eyes were red, like Soul's, but almost glowing. He grinned, reaching out a hand for Soul. Soul didn't take it and flinched when the man snarled at his defiance. Without moving, a hand slapped Soul hard across his cheek. He gasped in pain, his cheek instantly swelling from the blow. The man huffed, annoyance and disapproval in his tone.

"Now boys, that wasn't a nice thing to do to our new guest." The man chastised, glancing at the dark around him. Soul thought the man was crazy, but watched as the shadows formed two outlines of impish creatures near the man, leering at Soul. He sat there dumbfounded, before he found his voice again.

"W-who are you… what are you?" he whimpered.

The man grinned, showing off teeth even sharper than Soul's. His tongue ran across the bottom ones and Soul noticed his tongue was black. The man stepped forward, placing his hands on his hips and leaning down towards the albino.

"My name is Noire Dubric, though your people have been calling me 'Nightmare.'" He grinned, watching Soul shiver with fear. He leaned back up, glancing back at his companions. "As for what we are…"

He grinned, flashing an evil smile. He flicked his hand towards Soul, tendrils of black shooting at him. Soul screamed, trying to scramble away, but the tendrils grabbed him, wrapping his body in a cold, dark grasp. He struggled against them, crying when nothing worked. His body was shivering, the tendrils like ice. He felt them swirl around his body, poking and prodding at sensitive places. He yelped when he felt them slide around his throat. Noire smirked.

"We," he stepped back towards Soul, leaning down and smirking at the boy. "Well, me; I'm a kagemusha: a shadow warrior. These," he gestured to his companions. "These are kokuei: my own little familiars; shadow puppets, if you will." They made faces in response to his statement, melting back into oblivion. Noire sighed, muttering: "To bad they have such awful personalities… oh well."

He focused back on Soul, his grin spreading wider. He reached out a hand, the tendrils of black on Soul's body squirming more as their master got closer. Soul flinched as Noire's fingers brushed against his cheek, ice compared to the stinging burn left from his slap. Soul had tears streaming down his face. The guy already scared him because of his killings, but Soul was getting a whole different evil feeling from this guy.

Soul heard Noire whisper something. He caught the words "you know what to do" before he felt the shadows flare up, wrapping around Soul tightly before melting into his body, the black ink soaking into his skin.

Soul panicked, willing his body to run. His limbs wouldn't respond. Noire let out a low chuckle, moving away from the terrified boy. He pointed a finger at Soul, dragging it up in the air. Soul stared confused, but felt his body rising, the unknown force lifting him, pulling him up, obeying Noire's orders. The feeling was excruciating. It felt like his arteries had turned to iron and were being drawn towards a magnet outside his body. He screamed, or tried to, finding that his voice was weighed down by the dark substance as well.

Noire grinned, turning from Soul and marching over to the dark wall from before. He stepped into the shadows and disappeared, causing Soul to wonder only momentarily if he was going to melt into shadows too. He heard someone breathe behind him, turning his head as much as possible to find Noire, grinning like a madman.

"Yes, lovely…" he purred, sending shivers up Soul's spine. "You're fear is delectable…"

Soul tried to curse, yell, spit, and scream; anything to get this maniac away from him. Noire laughed, seeing the desperation in Soul's eyes. His laughter was short-lived as Soul started to regain some feeling in his arms. He struggled, thrashing about. Noire looked displeased and a swift punch to his ribcage stopped Soul from moving anymore, a low groan escaping his throat. Noire creeped closer to Soul, his breath right on Soul's neck.

"You're going to be a lovely new addition to my collection…" he murmured darkly. Soul felt shadows creeping around his body, slithering across his bare skin. Noire's breath was becoming ragged as it traced over Soul's skin. Soul flinched when he felt a hot puff of air on his neck. Soul wasn't sure what Noire was planning, but whatever it was, it was interrupted by his minions returning from oblivion. After a second of chittered screeching, Noire turned to them, hissing in return.

"Well stall them!" he seethed. The shadows panicked then fled, wary glances on their faces. Noire turned back to Soul, growling angrily. Noire whipped a few tendrils at Soul. Soul cringed at the few cuts they made across his face. He let out a squeak when he suddenly dropped to the floor, the shadows no longer controlling him. Noire charged at him, grabbing Soul by his throat, lifting him in the air. Soul coughed, scratching at Noire's hands as he felt the air slip from his lungs. He peeked through tear-filled eyes at the man, catching a smirk in his dark eyes. He released Soul, walking back towards the darkness.

"We'll meet again, boy…" he whispered, laughing darkly. He molded into the shadows, leaving Soul alone in the pitch-black room. Suddenly, light came rushing back in, shadows melting from the windows that Soul couldn't see before. Apparently Noire had used them to seal off the room. Bright moonlight drifted in, illuminating the small room.

Soul wished it hadn't.

The room he was in was scary in the dark, but light shed a whole new perspective on the horrors that surrounded him. There were several mannequins on the opposite wall from him, blood smeared and dripping from them. Pure white clothes were strewn about the mannequins, somehow untouched by the blood. He thought that it couldn't get worse, until he craned his head upwards towards some a flicker of movement.

A body of a young girl with white hair and red eyes was hung from the ceiling, black liquid running down her arms and face. Ten feet below her body was a dimming soul, its blue light slowly fading. The light flickered suddenly, then a loud scream filled the room, deafening Soul to the sound of his own. He shut his eyes, afraid to look. When he opened them, the screams had died and there, on the floor, was a blue puddle in the shape of one of Noire's familiars.

Soul continued to scream, unable to muffle the shrieks escaping his lungs. He heard crash, then silence.

He blacked out, still screaming…

* * *

**Black Star's POV~**

Black Star was on the last house on his list, aggravated that he still hadn't found Soul. The town he visited had several abandoned buildings that were secluded from the rest, and he had to search all of them. He couldn't help the anger boiling in his chest thinking of all the horrible things that creepy fucker could be doing to Soul. He thought about what Kid had said before he left, bile rising in his throat again.

"If he so much as looks at Soul funny, I swear I'll-" he muttered, Tsubaki cutting into the assassin's dark train of thought.

"Black Star, he raped women. He only took Soul because Soul found out about something. There's a chance he won't even-"

"He sent a message specifically to me! Why?! What does that fucker know about me?! What does he know about Soul?!" he growled, silencing his weapon. She tensed up, about to say something else, when a high-pitched buzz hit their ears. They froze, listening and scanning the area. They were between two warehouses, several others nearby. _Oh man, Soul could be in any one of these…_ Black Star thought.

Suddenly the ringing stopped. Seconds later, an all too familiar scream filled the air.

"Soul!" Black Star shouted, lunging for a warehouse just beyond the one to his right. He saw a window, jumping through it, raining shards of glass on the cold concrete below. He found Soul, shivering in a ball on the floor, screaming his head off. Black Star grabbed his shoulders, trying to steady the albino. Soul's body went rigid, his eyes rolling back into his head. His screams died a second later, his body finally giving out to fear and exhaustion.

Black Star cradled the boy's head, sobbing in relief and worry for finding the boy. Tsubaki dashed into the room, barely out of breath. She saw Black Star holding Soul, relief washing over her features, before she looked around the room and gasped, her eyes trained towards the ceiling. Black Star looked up confused, before he saw it.

Another victim, killed like the others, except strung up. Her soul a puddle at her feet, mixed with the black liquid. But it was her hair and her eyes that worried him the most. She was albino.

Black Star glanced down at Soul, sleeping in his arms, then at Tsubaki, worry flooding her features as well.

"What the hell is this guy's obsession with Soul?" he whispered, running a hand through his best friend's hair. He pulled Soul closer to his chest, before lifting the boy up, cradling him in his arms, and walking back towards the car he took from the DWMA.

_What the hell's going on…?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Black Star's POV~**

After Black Star got back, he headed straight for the infirmary with Soul, who hadn't woken up yet. Tsubaki left to go inform Shinigami-sama and the others about their rescue mission.

Maka cried when Black Star brought Soul back, unconscious and limp in his arms. Kid let out a shaky sigh and the Thompson sisters hugged each other before swarming Black Star with questions. Crona came out of his/her corner (Black Star still didn't know the teen's gender) where he'd been sulking since Soul was taken.

Everyone was antsy. Shinigami-sama was not happy with the news Black Star brought back. He sent a team of adults to go examine the crime scene, not wanting to expose the others to the horrors Black Star, Soul, and Tsubaki saw. Black Star still gets shivers from that grisly sight. All the blood, the mannequins, the girl. He wondered how Soul even lasted in that room; it was enough to drive anyone insane.

He hadn't left Soul's side, wanting to be the first one Soul saw when he woke up. Nurse Nygus couldn't find anything wrong with Soul except for a few scrapes, cuts, and his dislocated shoulder. She was afraid to use any needles on Soul in case he woke up and panicked, so she said she'd check on him later. Black Star sighed.

Soul looked bad. His skin was a sickly gray color. After Black Star set him down, he started shivering. His forehead was beaded with sweat and his lips were dry and cracked. He was bruised all over from his abduction. Three lines ran parallel on his cheek where the murderer had scratched him. He wished Soul would wake up and tell him what happened. He hated seeing the other so broken.

He gulped, remembering the look of pure terror on Soul's face when he found him; the blood-curdling scream the weapon had released. He wanted to kill the man who did this to Soul. He was contemplating the many ways he could kill the guy, when Soul stirred.

"B-Black Star…" he croaked.

Black Star jumped, rushing to the boy. He grabbed Soul's hand. His hand felt like ice.

"Soul! Thank god you're awake! How're you feeling? Are you okay?" Black Star was hyperventilating.

Soul groaned, trying to lift a hand to rub his head. Black Star noticed his eyes were almost black instead of red.

"Wha… where am I?" he looked at Black Star confused.

"You're back at the DWMA, Tsubaki and I found you last night…" he explained. Soul tensed up, memories coming back. He started crying, black tears dripping down his cheeks.

"Shit!" he screamed, jumping back from Soul. "What the hell's up with your eyes?"

Soul panicked, looking at the tears collecting in his lap, crying harder. Black Star felt bad for scaring him more. He walked back to Soul, afraid something might happen. Soul turned to him, tears streaming down his face. He pulled Black Star into a hug. Black Star could die right there; he never ever dreamed Soul would hug him like this. He let out a happy sigh, feeling Soul go rigid again. Soul pulled back, looking at Black Star. _There really was something off about Soul's eyes…_

Soul leaned in and kissed Black Star, shutting off the assassin's train of thought instantly. He couldn't move, couldn't think, all he felt was Soul's cold lips pressed to his, black tears still staining his cheeks. He felt so happy and confused that he didn't know what to do.

And then Black Star felt something stab him.

He lurched back, causing the knife to tear from his side. Black Star swore, placing a hand on the small wound. He glanced up at Soul and saw a surgical knife in his hand. His eyes were pitch-black, the tears still spilling.

Well now he knew something was wrong.

Soul lunged at Black Star, the knife swiping at his throat. Black Star jumped to the side, not wanting to hurt his best friend, but not wanting to die either. He scrambled for the door, but Soul leaped over him with surprising speed and blocked the path, turning to stab at him again. Black Star gritted his teeth, before delivering a swift kick to Soul's ribcage, hoping to stun him.

Soul staggered for a second, before straightening up. His eyes were void of any light.

Soul charged at Black Star, managing to cut him across his cheek. Black Star swore, before pushing Soul away from him. Soul crashed into the medicine cabinet, sending glass and bottles to the floor, several cutting Soul in the process. He stood back up like nothing happened. He heard footsteps from the hall, glancing to the side to see Kid, Nygus, and Stein rushing through the door.

"What the hell's going on?!" Kid shouted. He yelped, dodging the broken beaker Soul threw at his head. They looked at Soul and gasped. Stein and Nygus quickly swarmed Soul, wrenching the knife from his hand and pinning his arms behind his back. Kid ran over and used reaper spells to bind Soul's arms. Soul started thrashing about, making some sort of chittery-screech noise. Stein threw him on the hospital bed and strapped him to the restraints used for criminals and insane patients. They backed away, panting.

"What the hell is up with Soul?" Stein asked. He glanced at Black Star and noticed the wound in his side. He walked to the remains of the medicine cabinet and grabbed some gauze, returning to Black Star's side and bandaging the wound. Black Star shrugged, knowing no more than them.

"I don't know. He woke up, acting like himself. I noticed his eyes looked weird, but he was acting normal. Then he started crying black stuff and he hugged me." He hesitated, not sure if he should tell them the rest, then decided it would help. "He then kissed me and stabbed me. I pulled away and saw his eyes were black and then fought to avoid getting killed."

Stein and Kid were in a silent debate with each other, going over Black Star's story. Black Star noticed some glances between the two; he'd have to ask about that later.

"I think that Nightmare is controlling him somehow, though I don't know how." He added. He looked back to Nygus. "I think you should test his blood now."

She nodded, retrieving an unbroken needle and walking over to Soul. He struggled harder when she approached, but went rigid when the needle entered his arm. They watched as the vial slowly filled with black.

"That's unusual…" she murmured. "I mean, I know he has some black blood, but it's usually not noticeable."

She pulled the needle from his arm and he started thrashing again, snarling in his weird chitter. Stein placed a hand on his forehead and sent a surge of soul energy into him. Soul tensed, then relaxed, falling back asleep, black liquid still pouring from his eyes.

"Whatever it is, it's still controlling him. We could set him up with a blood transfusion, but that didn't work with the black blood. Maybe Crona or Maka could manipulate his black blood to cleanse the dark liquid from him." He glanced at the black tears on Soul's cheeks. "Maybe he'll cry it all out…"

Kid stepped forward. "We'll have to ask Father what to do… this hasn't happened before…" he mused.

Black Star sighed, wishing the answer was more obvious. He peered at Soul, worry crossing his features. He turned from the bed, walking with the others to go see Shinigami-sama.

* * *

Soul's been screaming for five days now. Everyone's worried. Maka's afraid to go see him in his current state, Crona's afraid just in general. Patty wants to see him because it's "cool," but Liz blocks her every time she tries. Kid's been in a meeting with Shinigami-sama and hasn't come out since the incident, Stein, Sid, and Nygus in there with them. So far, Black Star's the only one who will even be in the same room as Soul, with Tsubaki waiting in the hallway for Black Star to emerge.

After five days, Soul's screaming has turned his vocal chords into a wreck. Sometimes, he'll stop long enough to pant for air, a little bit of blood dribbling from his chin, but he'll start screaming again the second he sees anyone. The weird chitter had molded into a high-pitched screech after the first few hours.

Black Star was genuinely worried for his friend now. Not only was this slowly killing Soul, but it somehow knew something about his relationship with Black Star. _But what relationship was that?_

Black Star wondered about that weird, possessed kiss. Soul didn't know about his feelings for him; the most Black Star's shown was that good luck charm.

Something didn't make sense. This whole charade has been centered around Soul and Black Star; first with the blood-written message, then the corpse of the albino girl, and then the kiss.

Black Star groaned, ignoring the screams of his friend, and decided to sleep through some of this nonsense.

"Black Star…" someone whispered.

He groaned, deaf to the world.

"Black Star." The voice said again, more persistently. He waved it away, still wrapped in slumber.

"Black Star!" it shouted.

"What?!" he bolted upright, getting ready to smack whoever had woken him. He blinked a couple times before his eyes settled on Soul…

Or what he thought was Soul.

Soul's bed was empty, only his sheets and bindings remained, the restraints still bound. What stood a few feet in front of him, slightly hovering off the ground was Soul, only… not Soul.

Black Star nearly choked. "Soul?!"

Soul looked confused. He tilted his head to the side, staring at Black Star, wondering what had freaked his friend out so much. Black Star realized Soul hadn't seen yet. He shakily pointed a finger behind Soul, directing him to the mirror. Soul turned and gasped…

* * *

**Soul's POV~**

Soul was shocked, startled, scared beyond belief. He doesn't remember anything after he saw that girl who looked like him. Next thing he knew, he was in the infirmary, no nurses or doctors in sight, only Black Star. He felt like he was floating, drifting over to Black Star, almost at will. He shook Black Star, trying to wake him.

"Black Star…"

Nothing.

"Black Star."

He got waved away. He was just ignoring him. That pissed him off.

"Black Star!"

Black Star jumped, obviously about to murder whoever woke him. If it wasn't for the far off look in his eyes when he saw Soul, Soul would've laughed at his usual wake-up manner.

But Black Star looked as though he saw a ghost. Soul felt cold just looking at the fear in his eyes. He wanted to ask him what was wrong. Black Star answered the unasked question with a trembling point of his finger. Soul turned. He gasped.

He rushed to the mirror, looking over the demented image he saw. His skin was dark gray, almost shadowy. His lips and tongue had turned black; his teeth were sharper than before. His hair remained white -not surprising, even dye didn't change the color- but what caught him off guard was his eyes were glowing red. Black tear lines ran down his cheeks. They almost looked painted on. A dark black aura surrounded him, casting evil shadows on the ground below him. He looked down and noticed he wasn't even touching the floor, he was hovering.

He yelped, flying backwards, crashing into Black Star, who was just as surprised. Black Star shoved him away, scrambling from Soul like he was on fire. He will admit: that hurt. He felt himself pouting, angry at the blue-haired assassin.

"What the hell Black Star, it's still me!" he complained, noticing his voice sounded hollow and echoey, like he was talking in a tunnel.

Black Star regained his composure, gazing at the albino. He reached a hand out tentatively, lightly tapping Soul on the shoulder. Soul got fed up and threw a punch at Black Star, pegging him in the shoulder; something that never hurt Black Star before, yet caused him to cringe now. Soul stared at his hand disbelieving. Black Star inched closer, examining Soul.

"Soul… is that really you?" he asked. Soul huffed, annoyed at the obvious statement.

"Of course it's me you dumbass! Who else would it be?" he snapped. He paused, worried about how bitter he felt. Black Star seemed confused by Soul's words. "Black Star?"

Black Star sighed, running a hand through his spikes. "Shit… you're still screeching like before…"

"What are you talking about-"

"Soul, stop trying to talk, all I'm hearing is screeching and it's giving me a killer headache."

Soul huffed, crossing his arms and pouting. Black Star grinned now that Soul was acting normal again. He stood, crossing to Soul, and grabbed his hand, pulling him close.

"God, I'm just glad you're finally awake…" he mumbled.

Soul felt tingly and knew his face was red. He leaned against Black Star, noticing he was cold. Black Star's skin was like fire compared to his own. He wanted to ask him what happened, but he couldn't. One: his voice was apparently a screech; and two: Tsubaki came in and proceeded to flip-a-bitch.

She screamed.

"Oh my god! What the hell is that?!" she shrieked, pulling her meister away from Soul. It was weird to hear Tsubaki swear; she must really be startled. Even though Soul knew she was just surprised, he couldn't help the predatory growl that ripped from his throat. Tsubaki and Black Star both cringed. Soul stopped, looking down at his feet.

"Chill Tsubaki… it's only Soul." Black Star said after he recovered. Soul heard Tsubaki gasp, then she ran up to Soul, holding him in her arms. He felt tears on his shoulder.

"Thank goodness you're okay…" she paused, looking him up then down. "Well… mostly…"

Soul sighed. "Thanks Tsubaki… sorry for growling…"

She jumped a little, glancing back at Black Star. "He's still screeching?"

Black Star shrugged. "Well, I woke up thinking he was calling me in English, but then he just sounded like that afterwards…"

They both sighed, not liking this newfound situation. Tsubaki finally let go of Soul, turning fully to Black Star.

"We need to take him to Shinigami-sama and Kid and Professor Stein, they'll know what to do."

"I'm not sure they will, but if anyone can figure it out it's them…" he agreed.

Black Star grabbed Soul's hand again, leading him out of the infirmary room. He glanced back at Soul, tossing him a grin.

"Well… you're going to make quite an impression…"


End file.
